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THE LINE-UP 1958
This 1958 Columbia Pictures release is a film version of the popular police series of the same name. The series ran between 1954 and 1960 and was a no nonsense police procedural along the lines of, DRAGNET.
Don Siegel directs with Eli Wallach as a hit-man slash muscle type with Robert Keith as his handler. Richard Jaeckel plays the pair's local driver. There has been a foul up with a shipment of heroin being smuggled into San Francisco. Wallach and Keith have been brought from out of town to trace the "misplaced" product and retrieve said item.
Wallach is a man who loves his job and is only kept in check by the older Keith. There is soon a string of bodies left littering the city as Wallach and Keith do their stuff.
Called in at the start are San Francisco Detectives, Warner Anderson and Emile Meyer. They are of course one step behind the hit-man and his handler. Once the bodies and clues fall into place the chase picks up steam. Needless to say there are going to be more bodies along the way before Anderson and Meyer can close the matter.
This is top flight noir which moves along at a nice pace. Director Siegel keeps things on an even keel as he goes back and forth between the crooks and the pursuing Detectives. Siegel really has a firm grip on what is needed for this kind of film. His work included, THE VERDICT, RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11, THE BIG STEAL, PRIVATE HELL 36, CRIME IN THE STREETS, EDGE OF ETERNITY, THE GUN RUNNERS, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, THE KILLERS (1964), THE SHOOTIST, CHARLIE VARRICK, TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARA and DIRTY HARRY.
Handling the look of the picture is the talented cinematographer, Hal Mohr. The three time Oscar nominated, and two time winner, Mohr, worked on films such as, DESTRY RIDES AGAIN, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, WOMAN ON THE RUN, THE WILD ONE and BABY FACE NELSON.
This one is well worth the time invested to watch it. Wallach is fantastic as the off kilter in the head killer.
score 8/10
gordonl56 6 July 2016
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3499628/ |
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24-2-2021 18:06:19